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Our Mission

Our Mission At Venture Out Wellness™, our mission is simple: To give frontline professionals the self-guided tools they need to move better, feel better, and live better—without waiting weeks for care or sacrificing the career they’ve worked so hard to build.

We create stigma-free, science-backed solutions that help you take control of your pain, your performance, and your long-term health.

 

Our Story

After nearly 20 years as a military physical therapist, Dr. Karen Thomas saw the same story play out again and again: preventable injuries, delayed care, and service members struggling through pain in silence. Even when embedded with special operations units—where access to care was more direct—she witnessed the powerful impact of stigma, time constraints, and job pressures.

It wasn’t just about appointments. It was about identity, trust, and quality of life.

That’s why she founded Venture Out Wellness™: to bridge the gap between pain onset and medical care, and to build a better path forward.

Why We Do It

Because we believe those who serve deserve better. You deserve tools that support your body, calm your nervous system, and protect your longevity—without risking your role or waiting for permission.

We exist to fill the void between pain onset and medical care. To help you feel stronger, sleep deeper, manage stress, and show up in your life and career with less pain and more clarity.

This is a new movement in frontline wellness.

Meet the Founder

Dr. Karen Thomas, PT, DPT

Air Force Veteran | Physical Therapist | Founder of Venture Out Wellness™

Dr. Karen Thomas, PT, DPT, is a woman veteran-owned physical therapist and the founder of Venture Out Wellness™. With nearly two decades of service as a military physical therapist—spanning active duty, reserves, and government contract roles—she has dedicated her career to helping frontline professionals recover faster, prevent injury, and protect their long-term health.

From hospital clinics to deployed combat zones, from selection pipelines to special operations units—Dr. Thomas has witnessed firsthand the toll that untreated pain, delayed care, and burnout take on service members and first responders.

That’s why she created Venture Out Wellness™: to deliver stigma-free, practical tools that bridge the gap between pain onset and access to medical care—so frontline professionals can take control of their recovery and protect their quality of life.

Today, Dr. Thomas is leading a new movement in frontline wellness—one built on trust, transparency, and tactical support—helping military, first responders, and public sector defenders move better, feel better, and live better—on and off duty.

The experiences have been both challenging and rewarding, but not without revealing a deeper, systemic issue that would steer my path forward.

 

During my years working with the military, a troubling pattern emerged: a cycle of preventable injuries and a pervasive sense of frustration and hopelessness among the service members and first responders I worked with. Many were reluctant to seek medical help, driven by fears of career repercussions, being perceived as weak, or facing negative backlash. Regrettably, by the time some decided to seek help, their conditions had not only become chronic but had also multiplied, leaving them facing a constellation of physical impairments. This delay in seeking care meant that members were now more compromised than ever, facing a daunting path to recovery that required significant time and effort in the clinic to address the myriad of issues, profoundly diminishing their quality of life.

 

In 2023, a pivotal realization catalyzed a transformative shift in my career, steering me towards a new path in starting Venture Out Wellness and leaving my clinical career behind me. I had seen and heard enough; I could no longer continue waiting in the clinic for frontline defenders to come to me for help. I realized I would need to step into a more proactive role and not only venture out to help them, but equip them with the knowledge and tools necessary for self-managed pain relief, thereby dismantling the barriers to seeking medical help.  

 

This journey, fueled by a profound sense of purpose, is dedicated to addressing a critical dilemma that plagues our frontline defenders: the harsh choice between inadequate medical resources and the silence borne out of fear and stress. Having witnessed this challenge in clinics and hospitals globally throughout my career, I am now poised to make my most significant impact by empowering these heroes on a grander scale.  This initiative not only aims to reduce the risk of injury and chronic pain but also to enhance operational readiness and elevate the quality of life for our frontline defenders, setting the stage for a healthier, more active post-service life.

 

Join me on this transformative journey with Venture Out Wellness, where service members and first responders are empowered to take control of their health, ensuring they are as strong and resilient as the communities they protect. Together, we can build a future where every guardian of peace is also a guardian of their own well-being.

Feeling the Wear and Tear?

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